Can-centering means for textile planetary coilers



Feb. 11, 1969 J. R. WHITEHURST CANCENTERING MEANS FOR TEXTILE PLANETARY COILERS INVENTOR QEJE- RWHn-EHuRsT MM, 624%, JL LQMM Filed May 15, 1967 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,426,391 CAN-CENTERING MEANS FOR TEXTILE PLANETARY COILERS Joe R. Whitehurst, Kings Mountain, N.C., assignor to Ideal Industries, Inc., Bessemer City, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed May 15, 1967, Ser. No. 638,263

US. Cl. 19-159 Int. Cl. D0411 11/00 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to planetary coilers for coil ing textile sliver into stationary containers or sliver cans and is particularly concerned with a sliver can-centering means which is equally useful with out-of-true or damaged cans and true or undamaged cans.

As is well known, the bottoms of true cylindrical sliver cans extend at right angles to the axes thereof so they will occupy true vertical or perpendicular positions with respect to surfaces on which they rest. Thus, the upper ends of true cans are easily stationarily positioned on a planar supporting surface and in centered relationship to a planetary coiler head thereabove. However, owing to the fact that sliver cans are usually conveyed from place to place or from machine to machine by sliding the same along the mill floor, the annular bottoms of sliver cans gradually wear away unevenly so some of them may extend at an angle other than 90 with respect to their axes. Usually, when a can has become worn to such extent that the bottom thereof is about one or two degrees out-of-true with respect to its axis, such a can is relegated to storage to be repaired before further use is made thereof. Otherwise, upon centering the bottom of the worn sliver can beneath a coiler head, the open upper end of the can may be about to 1 /8 inches off-center, or more, with respect to the coiler head, thus interfering with the proper coiling of sliver into the can and frequently resulting in the sliver bulging out above the can and falling or working out of position above the can, especially during dof ring.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a means for centering the upper end of a coiler can in substantial alignment with the axis of a planetary coiler head irrespective of whether or not the bottom of the can extends at a right angle to its axis, and which permits the use of cans whose lower ends may be as much as three to four degrees out of true with respect to their axes, thereby greatly increasing the useful life of such cans before it becomes necessary to repair them and/or replace them with true cans.

The invention comprises, in combination with a planetary coiler head and a sliver can stationarily positioned on a planar supporting surface beneath the coiler head for receiving the coiled sliver therefrom, means for centering the upper end of the can with respect to the coiler head while permitting the can to rest on its bottom in a stationary condition on the supporting surface and irrespective of whether or not the bottom of the can extends at a right angle to the axis of the can, said 3,426,391 Patented Feb. 11,, 1969 means comprising guide arms in peripheral engagement with portions of the can, only adjacent the upper end thereof, and with the can being otherwise free of engagement whereby the bottom of the can may seek its own position on the supporting surface without significantly disturbing the centered relationship of the upper end of the can to the coiler head.

Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the can positioning device of the present invention shown in association with a planetary coiler and an out-of-true sliver can;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan view, partially in section, taken substantially along line 22 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view similar to that shown in FIGURE 2, but showing the can positioning device as adjusted for accommodating a sliver can of larger diameter than the sliver can shown in FIGURE 2 and FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, partially exploded fragmentary perspective view of one of the centering units of the invention looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in FIGURE 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the planetary coiler shown in FIGURE 1 comprises a planetary coiler head 20 carried by a frame 21 whose rear portion is shown in the form of a hollow column 22. As shown, the lower end of column 22 is fixed to a planar supporting surface or platform 23 which may be secured to the floor, or which may be a portion of the floor upon which the corresponding carding machine, drawing frame, comber or other sliver producing machine is positioned.

As shown, planetary coiler head 20 comprises a sun member 30 carried by frame 21, spaced a substantial distance above can supporting surface 23 and driven for rotation about a main substantially vertical axis 31. A planet member 32 is mounted in a suitable opening in sun member 30 so the lower surfaces of sun member 30 and planet member 32 are positioned in horizontal coplanar relationship with the planet member 32 being driven for rotation about a substantially vertical auxiliary or secondary axis 33 which is off-set or eccentric with respect to main axis 31 and revolves about main axis 31 during rotation of sun member 30.

Supported for rotation with a planet member 32 and about the secondary axis 33 is a trumpet or sliver guide element 35 and a pair of calender rolls 36, which calender rolls serve to draw a textile sliver S from the sliver producing machine, not shown, through the trumpet 35 to direct the same through an eccentric passage 37 in the planet member 32 for coiling the sliver S into a cylindrical coiler can 40 resting upon the supporting surface 23.

During the coiling operation, sun member 30' rotates on its main axis 31 at a relatively slow speed as compared to that at which the smaller planet member 32 rotates about secondary axis 33, with the result that trumpet 35 and passage 37 in planet member 32 move in a somewhat epicyclical path generated about main axis 31 for coiling the sliver into the can in a spiral manner substantially as shown in FIGURE 2. Further details of the planetary coiler head 20 are deemed to be unnecessary, but reference is made to my copending application Ser. No. 566,870, filed July 21, 1966, and entitled, Planetary Coiler Head, for a more detailed description of coiler head 20 and the means for driving sun member 30, planet member 32 and calender rolls 36 thereof.

The can positioning device of this invention is particularly useful in stationarily centering non-castered sliver cans beneath planetary coiler head 20, wherein the cylindrical bottom edge of the can 40 rests upon supporting surface 23.

In FIGURE 1, it will be observed that the upper end of sliver can 40 is centered with respect to the main axis 31 of planetary coiler head 20*, even though the axis of the can is shown extending at an angle with respect to the main axis 31 of the coiler head. Such angular relationship between the axes of the can and the coiler head may occur when the can is damaged and out-of-true so that its bottom extends at other than a right angle with respect to the axis of the can. Also, even if the can is a true can, such angular relationship may occur when the can supporting surface 23 is-uneven or is not parallel with the lower surfaces of the coiler head members 30, 3 2.

True sliver cans, whose bottoms extend at a right angle to their axes, become out-of-true due to the fact that they are subjected to frequent and rough handling in a mill as they are conveyed and slid along the floor from place to place or from machine to machine. Such handling may cause the bottom surfaces of a can to wear unevenly so they do not extend at a right angle to the axis of the can. Usually, when a sliver can is damaged or worn to such extent that the bottom thereof is about one or two degrees out-of-true with respect to its axis, such a can is relegated to storage to be repaired before further use is made thereof. Otherwise, upon centering the bottom of the worn or damaged can beneath a coiler head, utilizing the prior art types of centering devices, the upper end of the can may be from to 1% inches, or more, off-center with respect to the coiler head. The can positioning device of this invention centers the upper end of the can and therefore facilitates effective use of sliver cans which may be as much as three degrees or more out of-true, thereby greatly extending the useful life of such cans before they need to the repaired or discarded.

Accordingly, the can positioning device comprises a pair of centering units comprising spaced apart guide arms or abutments 50, 51 in peripheral engagement with portions of the sliver can 40', only adjacent the upper end thereof. Guide arms 50, 51 are so positioned as to center the open upper end of sliver can 40 with respect to the axis 31 of coiler head 20, and since the can is free otherwise of peripheral engagement, the bottom of the can may seek its own position on the supporting surface 23 without significantly disturbing the centered relationship of the upper end of the can to the coiler head.

As shown, the proximal or inner surfaces of guide arms 50, 51 are preferably of arcuate form of a radius about the same as that of the largest sliver can to be used with the planetary coiler. In order to aid in avoiding damage to the can 40 as it is positioned against and partially between guide arms 50, 51, each of them may be provided with a thin cushion facing 52 of yieldable material, such as rubber, leather or the like. In instances in which the guide arms do not contact the can along the entire length of their cushion facings, it is preferred that they engage the can at points about 85 to 120 apart with respect to the axis of the can.

To accommodate cans 40' of different diameters, the rear end of each guide arm 50, 51 has a plate 53 thereon and is pivotally mounted in the bifurcated front end of a corresponding support arm 54 by means of a bolt 55. The bolts 55 may loosely penetrate plates 53, which are arranged to overlie the respective support arms 54. Each plate 53 has an arcuate adjustment slot support arms 54. Each plate 53 has an arcuate adjustment slot 56 therethrough generated about bolt 55 and which is penetrated by a screw 57 for securing the guide arms in the desired spaced relationship to accommodate a can of particular diameter.

Additionally, since a large diameter can must be located further rearwardly (closer to column 22) than a smaller diameter can so the cans will be centered properly beneath coiler head 20, each support arm 54 has an elongate, forwardly and rearwardly extending adjustment slot 60 therethrough which is penetrated by a pair of spaced bolts 61 secured in a bracket 62. Bracket 62 may take the form of a split flanged ring whose opposed halves are secured together, in clamping engagement with column 22, by suitable bolts 64.

It is apparent that guide arms 50', 51 should be located as near the uppermost end of the sliver can 40 as is prac ticable, and should be located at points above about three fourths of the height of the can so that, even though the can may be out-of-true to such extent that its bottom may be as much as two or three inches off-center with respect to the coiler head, the center of the upper end of the sliver can still would be located within about /2 to inch of the main axis 31 of coiler head 20.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a textile coiler having a planetary coiler head and a sliver can stationarily positioned on a stationary planar supporting surface beneath the coiler head for receiving while in stationary condition the coiled sliver therefrom; the combination therewith of means for engaging only upper end portions of the can and for centering the upper end of the can with respect to the coiler head while permitting the can to rest on its bottom in a stationary condition on the stationary supporting surface and irrespective of whether or not the bottom of the can extends at a right angle to the axis of the can, said means comprising guide arms in peripheral engagement with portions of the can, only adjacent the upper end thereof, and with the can being otherwise free of engagement whereby the bottom of the can may seek its own position on the stationary supporting surface without signficantly disturbing the centered relationship of the upper end of the can to the coiler head.

2. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said guide arms are of elongate configuration and are provided with arcuate surfaces at least partially in peripheral engagement with said sliver can.

3. A structure according to claim 2, wherein said arcuate surfaces include respective facings thereon of yieldable material.

4. A structure to claim 1, wherein said coiler includes a frame portion spaced rearwardly of said sliver can, and means adjustably supporting said guide arms on said frame portion for relative adjustment toward and away from the axis of said sliver can be provide for proper centering of the upper end of said can and to accommodate sliver cans .of different diameters.

5. A structure according to claim 4, in which said means adjustably supporting said guide arms comprises a pair of support arms mounted for forward and rearward adjustment on said frame portion and to the forward ends of which the rear ends of said guide arms are connected for angular adjustment on respective substantially vertical axes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,728,113 12/1955 Watson et al. 19159 3,221,374 12/1965 Fornes 2821 XR 3,323,178 6/1967 Gossett et al. 19159 3,323,179 6/1967 Gossett et al. 19-159 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,413 6/1962 Japan. 150,539 9/ 1920 Great Britain. 450,096 1/ 1913 France.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. IRA C. WADDEY, 111., Assistant Examiner. 

